Guardian Office's Days - Abyssal Fleet
by shad12ow
Summary: Every fleet girl need an Admiral to help them perform their task. Their admiral will help them choose the best strategy and tactic to fight the mysterious and dangerous Abyssal Fleet. By following them, they can defeat anything the Abyssal Fleet throw at them and return home with a smile on their face. With that on their mind, the Abyssal Fleet is determined to do the same.
1. Chapter 1

**********Disclaimer: Kantai Collection (Kancolle), all of its characters, and musics belongs to their respected owner. The only things I own here is my OCs. This fanfict may or may not be canon. Besides that, I've got nothing else to say. So with that, please take a seat, grab your drink, pick your snack, and have a pleasant cruise (or read).**

* * *

**Chapter 1 "Recruitment"**

A knock on the door was heard accompanied by a few chattering voice from the other side. Without any answer from the inside of the room, the door opened, revealing three girls. Each of them wore outfit that differed slightly one from another. One had a white serafuku top with a pair of wide sleeve. Her tie has the same blue color with her bottom bikini part. As for her leg, she covered it with a thigh high with a darker colored blue. The one in the middle wore a bodysuit that has the color of white and a strange ornament near her neck that somehow resembled the lower part of a giant beast's jaw. Her black pants were held on place by strange fitting that locked on to her body suit. The last girl, seemingly a bit taller than the other two, has black outfit that consisted of a long black pants and also short sleeve black shirt with peculiar design. Although each has different outfit, the three of them have similar trait. They all have pale white skin and also glowing eyes, although with different color.

The one in the middle entered the room first. As she walked into the room, her walking stick made a crisp sound that filled the barren room. The room itself is very empty. There's nothing there except a single desk with a set of computer sitting on top of it, completed with a printer next to it. Usually one would see a chair behind the desk, but there was none of it there. And instead of facing the other way around, the monitor of the computer faced the door as if greeting whoever entered the room.

After the three girls entered the room, they lined up to each other in front of the computer set. The black screen flickered once and then an image appeared on it. The image showed a profile picture of a person with a short dark brown hair. A sharp look on the eyes made the person quite intimidating. On the upper part of the picture the name "Ren Kagome" was written. The three girls just looked at the screen in front of them in silence.

Seconds later, the printing device next to it started to make sound. As the printer slowly threw out papers, the girl in white serafuku top walked next to it. She took the papers after waiting for the printer to finally finished doing its work. After reading it for a while, she gave the papers to the girl in the middle who was standing while supporting herself slightly on her black walking stick. The girl immediately read the content of the paper. Finished reading it too, she gave it to the last girl in the group. Not wanting to wait for her to finish reading it, the girl with the white bodysuit walked to the door. Before leaving, she let out a simple order.

"Prepare for retrieval."

* * *

In an empty looking cabin inside a certain ferry ship, a man sat near the window with his arms crossed in front of him. His face was covered with a white navy hat and the sound of slow breathing was heard from it. Feeling the gentle ray of sun coming from the window, the man slept soundly without a care for the world. Next to him was a black colored sport bag that seemed to be about to burst any second due to being filled near the maximum limit.

Unfortunately for him, a rocking of the ship disturbed his peaceful slumber. Grumbling slightly, he opened his eyes and removed the hat that covered his face. "And just when I was having a good dream," he muttered under his breath. At first he wanted to go back to sleep again. But his instinct prevented him from doing that. To add to that, another rocking happened, and the last one was much rougher than the first. Feeling a bit worried, the dark brown haired guy stood up after putting the hat on. He exited the cabin and looked around. He noticed that even though the ferry has rocked for quite some time, there was no sound of panic nearby. Of course he wasn't expecting people running around the hallway with panic expression on their face. But there was no visible sign of panic at all. No murmuring, no footsteps, no nothing. It was too quiet.

While thinking for any possible reason for that, another rocking was felt from the ship. This time, it was much bigger than the last two. And once again, the man noticed that there was no sign of anything. He then went back inside and fetched his bag. Anxiety was filling his mind as he was trying to understand the current situation. He exited the room right away and ran to the bridge. That was the first thing that came into his mind. In an unknown situation, he needed to know the big picture first before deciding any action.

As he ran through the corridor with his bag on his hand, there was not a single person present along the way. That made his already anxious mind became much worse. Putting more power to his feet, he hastened his pace. In a matter of seconds, the sight of the door that probably led to the bridge came into his vision. He quickly reached to the door knob and opened the door.

"What the!?" The sight in front of him was not what he expected, although he already suspected a bit. There was no one there. The machinery looked functional and undamaged. But the crew that was supposed to man the bridge was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, there was no sign of struggling or attack that happened before. It was as if the whole crew left the ship all of a sudden. Either that or they vanished into thin air. "…This is bad." He muttered that with a slight frown.

If at first he was trying to get some answer of the current condition, he now has received more questions. Inside his mind, he was turning his brain to choose the most appropriate course of action he should take. If, he presumed, there was no one on board except himself, he should forget gathering information. He should instead focus on getting to safety. Because on board of a drifting ship is never a safe solution. He could take the ship and steer it back to a nearby port, but for some reason his instinct told him not to do that. But riding a life boat to a nearby port might be difficult too.

"Let's just try to steer it back to port for now." He decided to go against his instinct for once. But before he took a step toward the steering wheel, he heard a loud sound from the deck. At that, he immediately abandoned his previous intention and ran to the source of the sound. "This is one strange day I'm having." Minutes later, he reached the deck. Exiting the hallway and into the open area, he looked around the deck. "And it keeps getting stranger," muttered the man while trying to digest the whole situation.

There was no one there except a single figure in the middle of the deck. Standing proudly, on her head was a big monstrosity that has four long pale colored tendrils sprouting from the side. The eyes on the top of the monstrosity emitted a smoke-like gas while the mouth was bearing a visible line of sharp looking teeth. Near the place where the tendrils sprouted was a turret. The figure itself, shadowed by the big monstrosity on top, wore a long cape behind her and was standing with a black walking stick place in front. She looked at him with her glowing blue eyes.

The man, clearly shocked and intimidated by her presence, just stood on the edge of the deck doorway. He surveyed the situation again. There was no sign of fight or violence on the deck. It was safe to assume that the ship wasn't attacked. But if that was true, then he feared another possibility. A much worse possibility.

The figure then took a step toward him. Then it changed into a steady walk. With each passing seconds, the figure went closer and closer to him. The intimidating aura the figure emitted went much more intense with the distance between him and the figure get closer. But instead of running away, the man just stood there with his sport bag slung on his shoulder. Although his grip was becoming tighter, he didn't show any more sign of being afraid.

After reaching just a few steps away from him, the figure stopped and once again placed the walking stick in front of her.

"Wo is expecting you." The figure spoke with a calm feminine tone. The man pointed to himself with a rather confused look on his face. Noticing that, the figure nodded slightly, making the monstrosity on her head wobbled its tentacle.

"Who is this 'Wo' you're speaking of?" asked the man with a strangely calm tone of his own.

"Wo is Wo," answered the figure. Clearly wasn't satisfied at that answer, the man frowned a bit toward her.

"Are you 'Wo'?" He asked again. He received an answer in a form of yet another nod. "So, why are you expecting me?" At that question, she tilted her head slightly.

"You aren't afraid of Wo?"

"Afraid?" The man shifted his leg and assumed a much relax stance. "The moment I saw you, it has passed the state of afraid. This time I am more on the curious side."

"Interesting." She put one hand on her chin. "Just as the report stated."

"Once again, may I ask the reason?" Ignoring her muttering, he asked the same question.

"Wo can only answer if you follow Wo."

"Where?"

"To Wo's base."

"Where is it?"

"Wo can't answer that." She shook her head slightly. "You have to follow Wo first."

"I see." He thought to himself for a few seconds. Inside his mind, he tried to find any possible action besides following her. But if she is really what he thought, then the chance of him getting out of this situation with his life intact would be practically zero if he refused to follow her command. Arriving at that conclusion, he gave a sigh. "Very well, I'll follow you."

"Good." Then one of the tendrils on the monstrosity moved and produced a respirator. The tendril put forward the respirator toward him. "Put this on." The man, although looked to be hesitating at first, grabbed the respirator. "You're not going ask Wo what is that for?" The one called 'Wo' asked him again.

"There's no point in asking. I'll know it sooner or later." After saying that, he put the respirator on. The moment he put it on, he felt dizzy as he realized that gas started to invade his lung. As his body rapidly became weak, his knee buckled and he fell forward. But just before his body hit the floor, he was kept hanging, inches away from hitting the floor by the tendrils. After that, the last scene he saw was the figure's glowing eyes. And he lost his consciousness completely.

"You have retrieved the package?" A voice came from behind the figure. She looked back to face the speaker.

"It was faster than Wo expected." With the tendrils wrapped gently to the man's body, the monstrosity lifted the man slowly. Another tendril reached for the man's sport bag that lay on the floor. She walked toward the speaker who was standing near a strange object that resembled a giant black case with glass cover in the front. Strange looking hose and pipe was attached to the object's side. "But he was just as the report stated."

"Really now? Now I'm curious." The other party then pushed a button on the top part of the case. It then opened, releasing a small amount of gas. The tendrils than placed the man gently inside the case. The sport bag was also put inside the case. It then pushed the glass cover again to enclose the man. A slight 'click' was heard and then the case glowed with purple light. "Let's go now. Ru-kyuu has said that she spotted a few fleet girls patrolling around here."

"Understood. Wo will carry the package." After saying that, she lifted the black case effortlessly with the monstrosity's tendrils. "Wo will get back straight to base. You inform Ru-kyuu to get back too. Don't forget to remove the evidence."

"Roger that."

With that last conversation exchange, the two figures jumped off from the edge of the deck and then sunk into the blue ocean. A few moment of silence came over the empty vessel after that. Then the last thing that happened to the ferry ship was loud explosions that came from each side of the hull. It then sunk rapidly into the ocean.

* * *

"So he's the one?"

"Yes, he is."

"You sure?"

"Wo-kyuu said so. And judging from the picture, he is the one. Why do you look so unsure?"

"Uhm, I thought that it was supposed to be a woman. You know, because of the name."

"Oh, that." The figure nodded once. "I thought the same at first. But then I read the report once again. The report stated that it is actually a man."

"Guess I should read the report more carefully later. Ah, he's waking up."

The man slowly opened his eyes. He was awoken by the sound of chattering voice near him. As he woke up, he noticed that he was wearing a respirator. Slowly trying to remember the event that happened to him, he also noticed that he was enclosed in some case. At first, panic attacked his mind, but then he took control of his mind and calmed his mind. He looked forward and saw two figures looking at him.

"Oh, yeah, you can't open this thing from the inside." After saying that, one of the figures pushed the button on the case. The sound of moving mechanism was heard as the glass case slowly opened. After opened completely, the man stepped out of the case with careful step. His first step was difficult as he was trying to familiarize himself with the environment. The second step was much better, although he was still feeling kind of dizzy and disoriented. Rubbing the back of his head to lessen the dizziness, he looked around him to know the situation. He was currently in a small room with a lot of pipes and wiring sticking on to the wall. The source of light was a single fluorescent lamp placed on the ceiling. There's no window and only a single door on one side. In a simple term, this was probably a prison or a holding cell. After digesting the environment, he looked forward to face the two figures.

"And you are?" He asked them with a slightly muffled voice thanks to the respirator.

"He's calm and composed." The figure on the right commented. "Impressive."

"I take that as a compliment."

"Well, it is supposed to be one." The figure then walked closer. "I'm Battleship Ru-kyuu," said the one dressed in complete black.

"And I'm Battleship Ta-kyuu," said the one wearing the white serafuku top. "You can take off the respirator if you want to."

"Understood." The man then removed the respirator. Feeling slightly better after that, he took a deep breath. The feel of air filling his lung comforted him a bit. But he was far from being completely relaxed as he knew the two figures. He didn't really know 'who' they are. He knew 'what' they are. "And why does the shinkaisei-kan, the Abyssal Fleet, wanted to see me?" Yes, they are the forces that threat the humanity. Donning in black armor and outfit, equipped with monstrous armament, and also intimidating presence, the shinkaisei-kan, the Abyssal Fleet, is something that seemed to be stuff taken straight from nightmare. While asking that, he wore his usual calm attitude. That wasn't because of his bravery. That was because taking that attitude might lengthen his life in the nightmare inducing fleet's base, even if only for a few moments.

"We can't explain that to you here." Hearing the same answer from the one called 'Ta-kyuu' angered him a bit inside of his mind. But he managed to cover that up with his poker face. "You'll have to follow us first."

"…Understood." For him, that short reply of his was the best answer he could give at the moment.

"Let's go then. Wo-kyuu is waiting." Ta-kyuu stood next to him and pointed to the exit with her hand. "Right this way."

He nodded once. Before he took another step, he remembered his luggage. Although only a single sport bag, it contained valuable stuff for him. He looked back into the case he was in few moments ago. His sight immediately searched the interior of the case and found the object he was looking for. An immediate wave of relieved filled his mind. But before he could reach out to the bag, another hand has already reached the bag. He looked to the owner of the hand and found it was Ru-kyuu's.

"I'll carry it for you." A simple statement came out of the black outfit wearing shinkaisei-kan. It was delivered with no expression whatsoever on her pale face. "Is there anything else?"

"…No, there isn't." With just that simple gesture from her, he knew that they were being cautious of him. Of course that was to be expected. He scolded himself mentally for not realizing that fast enough. "Shall we go then?" Ta-kyuu gestured to the door as she was already standing near it. The man nodded and followed her with Ru-kyuu behind him.

* * *

As they walk along the hallway, he noticed that the place was quite vast but lack activity. On their journey to the destination unknown to him, he didn't meet anyone or anything else. The dark hallway that was illuminated by rows of small fluorescent lighting fixtures on the bottom and top part of the wall looked really quiet and eerie. The dark bluish color also didn't help in lifting the atmosphere. With each step they made closer, sound of metal being hit was made as the floor was made out of metal plate.

Being inside a shinkaisei-kan's base for the first time, the impression of the place has surely been a bad one for the man. But he has to put that aside and focus on the situation he was in at the moment.

"We're here." Unfortunately for him, his time to prepare himself has run out with the announcement from Ta-kyuu. The three of them stopped in front of a big metallic door. Next to the door was a hand print scanner. Ta-kyuu walked near the scanner and then placed her hand on top of the scanner. A silent beeping sound was made as the scanner processed the input. Seconds later, the door split in half and began to slide open to each side. "Let's go." She gestured inside and then went in herself.

Not knowing what else to do, he followed the white haired shinkaisei-kan. Ru-kyuu followed him short after.

"Welcome." A voice greeted him from the inside of the room. "You take much longer time than Wo expected." It was the girl she met on the deck of his ferry not long ago. But this time she didn't wore that tendrils-sprouting-monstrosity, revealing a long flowing white hair similar to Ta-kyuu's.

The man looked around the room and it has a very different look from the rest of the base the man has seen. Instead of a metallic wall, the wall seemed to be made of wood. The flooring was also done the same way as the wall too. And instead of an industrial looking lamp, a simple looking chandelier hung on the middle of the ceiling. All of that made the room had a simple, yet a much comfortable atmosphere for him.

"Forgive me. I'm not quite used in breathing knock-out gas." The man said with sarcasm dripping in his tone. But even though his tone was far from friendly, his face still retained the same calm and cold expression.

"Wo understands that now. Wo also understands that you have many questions."

"Correct." The man nodded once at her statement.

"Then let's hear your question." She walked toward him and stopped just a few steps away from him. "Wo will try to answer your question if Wo can."

"…Very well." Still feeling a bit weird hearing her way of talking, the man straighten his back and looked at her eye to eye. "First is the most important one. What is your reason for doing…all these?"

"Just as Wo expected." The girl called Wo-kyuu nodded once and then continued. "The Administration wants to do an experiment."

"Experiment?" Hearing that word has made him a bit uncomfortable inside. Although worried that he might regret asking, he pushed on with the question. "What experiment?"

"An experiment to understand the way of the fleet girl."

"The way of the fleet girl? You mean their way of fighting?"

"Not just that." She shook her head slightly after hearing his comment. "The way they live, the way they think, the way they fight, and other aspect of their life. The Administration wants to learn that."

"All of their aspect of living? That's….one big experiment."

"Wo thought the same too. But since it's the Administration that ordered us, we have to do it."

"Then about the experiment. What is it that you do in this experiment?"

"The experiment is," Wo-kyuu casted her down slightly while tapping her chin, "How do Wo say it? Replicate their way of living?"

"Huh? Replicate their way of living?" Certainly didn't catch what she meant, the man raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"What Wo-kyuu mean is that we, as the one doing the experiment, will try to live the same way the fleet girl live their life." Ta-kyuu who was standing next to the man explained further.

"We will simulate their way of living. Right here in this base." Ru-kyuu added to the previous explanation.

"…That's really something strange to do." Scratching his head, he asked another question. "What is the purpose of this experiment?"

"The purpose is to be able to counter the fleet girl more effectively in the future." Wo-kyuu gave her answer without showing any changes in her face. "For long time, we've been defending our territory. But as time went on, we have been pushed back. It is a shame to say it, but we are on a deadlock with the fleet girls."

"And by doing the experiment, the shinkaisei-kan hopes to find some things that can be used to give advantaged in the future battle." He looked to Wo-kyuu as he stated his conclusion from their conversation. He received a nod from her. "Then let's move to the next question. Why me?" At the start of his experience in the strangely empty ferry, that question popped into his mind more times than he could count.

"Why you, indeed." She paused for a few seconds and then continued. "Lieutenant Ren Kagome, you have served as the navy Logistic Officer for quite some time. Provision for maintenance, crew and ship replenishment, financial management. They were all just a small part of your work. They were all done flawlessly. Both efficient and effective in managing, you are known to be able to handle many difficulties, both offshore and onshore."

"Your information is quite detailed, Wo-kyuu-san," said the man after being read of his information, feeling a slight suspicious at where the direction of the conversation will go to.

"Judging from this information, you are deemed to be suitable to the experiment."

"Deemed to be suitable?" She nodded once at his question. "For what?"

"Lieutenant Kagome, do you understand the requirement for us to hold the experiment?" Ru-kyuu's voice was heard behind him.

"The requirement?" Looking back at the black wearing shinkaisei-kan girl, he started to think. "Uhm, you want to replicate the fleet girl, right? So you need at least a base similar to theirs."

"Correct." Wo-kyuu replied. "This base is built with that in mind. Although different in appearance, it holds the same functionality as theirs."

"Okay, so next you need willing participant." He looked at each of them. "I presumed you three are the one?"

"Once again, correct."

"Then what else do you need?"

"We need similar chain of command as them." Ta-kyuu said to him. "We need an Admiral."

"Ah, I see. You need the same chain of command." Ren paused slightly. He digested the meaning of that statement. After his mind finished compiling the information he just received, a possibility of the direction the conversation lead to surface. His expression darkened as he realized that. "Uhm, do you mean…you kidnapped me because…" Cold sweat poured out of his forehead as he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Correct, Lieutenant Kagome." Wo-kyuu nodded. She lifted her walking stick and pointed at him. "According to the order from the Administration, we need you to become the leader of the experiment and act as our Admiral."

"…Y-Y-Your A-A-Ad-mi-mi-mi-ral!?" Both shaken and surprised after being revealed to the reason, Ren stuttered so much that his sentence was barely understandable.

"Don't stutter so much, Lieutenant Kagome. That's unbecoming for a man of your caliber." She paused a bit, and then continued. "Although, that made you a bit cute~" Ta-kyuu commented with a slight teasing tone.

"Ta-kyuu!" Ru-kyuu quickly scolded her comrade for teasing him. "Be respectful!"

"Okay, okay." The target of scolding just waved her hand lazily, clearly didn't take that statement seriously. "So, how about it, Lieutenant?"

"Wa-Wait a damn minute!" He shouted that immediately. Although his mind was not on the best state to think clearly, one thing was clear for him. He couldn't do that. "Are you asking me to betray my comrade and defect to your side!? That's insulting!"

"Betray your comrade?" Wo-kyuu tilted her head as she heard that statement.

"Of course! I will not betray my–"

"Even if your comrade betray you first?"

"…What?" Shocked by Wo-kyuu's words, Ren shut his mouth immediately.

A wave of silence swept the room, leaving only the sound of each and their own breath audible. Ren, recovered from his previous shock, looked up to Wo-kyuu with a slightly annoyed look.

"Care to explain what you mean by 'they betray me first?" asked the man as he gestured toward her, using all his strength to keep himself as calm as possible.

"Lieutenant Ren Kagome, known to have a clean record and proven to be a very skillful officer in your division. And yet," Wo-kyuu paused and walked closer to him, "you are not a lieutenant anymore."

Ren stood still without uttering a single word. His hand on each side started to curl into a fist.

"You didn't get promoted nor demoted. You have no rank whatsoever at the moment. Why is that?"

Hearing that, his fists went tighter as his knuckles started to become white and his body tensed up. But despite all of that, his expression remained unchanged.

"That is because you are fired." Wo-kyuu paused a bit. She tapped her chin. "No, that's not correct. You resigned. Or should I say, forced to resign?"

"Enough." His voice, although only sounded a bit louder than a whisper, it carried strong force that could be felt by the three of them. Different than the other two, the one who stood in front of him let out a small smile, as if expecting that from him. "How much do you know?"

"Some higher officials are involved in a case of embezzlement. Unfortunately, the case was found out. Although they have no evidence of your involvement, they placed their blame on your division. The burden of the whole case was on you as you are the leader of the division. Because of that, they forced you to resign or they will fire you officially. And the one that did all of those to you was actually the very culprit that framed you." Wo-kyuu tilted her head as she finished her explanation. "Did I get that right?"

She didn't receive any answer. Ren stood there with his fists clenched tight and his eyes looked at her without moving an inch. "…Why do I have to hear this again?" He muttered under his breath.

"Wo will presume that Wo is right, Lieutenant Kagome."

"Don't use that name again." Ren said to her. "Just as you said, I don't have any rank."

"Very well, then would you be interested in the rank of Admiral?"

"Maybe you mean the Abyssal Fleet Admiral."

"That's fine if you want to call it that. But an admiral is an admiral, don't you think?" A small smile crept on her face again, making her presence a bit more disturbing for the brown haired man.

"And don't you think that I will probably sabotage this experiment of yours?"

"Wo only does what Wo was told to do." She walked back to her previous position. "The same goes with the two of them."

"If the Administration told us to recruit you, then you are the right person for this job." The long haired shinkaisei-kan beside him added. "Once again, we're just following order."

"But if we may give our opinion, just from your data only, you are a really capable officer. For this experiment, a capable officer is a very important requirement." This time, it was Ru-kyuu that voiced her opinion.

A moment of silence came over the room once again. As many information entered Ren's mind, he was weighting each possible decision.

"I am grateful for your praise and all, but I have no intention of defecting to the other side." He waited for their response as he finally came to that conclusion.

"Even if you are considered dead by your government?"

"Even if I am considered dead by my…government…" That later part of his reply was delivered with a lower voice than before. He felt cold sweat coming out of his head again while he was in the middle of trying to swallow what she just stated. "…Sorry, what did you say? I seem to have misheard you."

"Ah, forgot to tell you that there's a slightly bit of problem going on about that." Ta-kyuu said while rubbing the back of her head. "The ferry you used was no more."

"…Don't tell me," Ren looked at her with a slight look of worry, "you sank the ferry?"

"Uhm, I didn't mean to at first, but it has sank nonetheless," she replied with an awkward tone. "Sorry about that." His face quickly paled after hearing the news. "Ah, but don't worry. There's no one there."

Ren went quiet before he realized another thing. "Wait, did you just say that there's no one on board that ferry at all?" He received the answer with a nod from the white haired shinkaisei-kan. "So that ferry was a trap you set up all along?"

"We didn't set that up. Somebody else has."

"And how can you be so sure of that?"

"We've check the transportation data in their server." Ru-kyuu said to him. "There was none except you board the ferry."

"Oh dear Lord." He felt weaker after hearing that from Ru-kyuu. That would mean that the shinkaisei-kan has access to all the data in the navy. If that is true, they aren't only able to see the data, they would also be able to manipulate the data to their liking. "The higher will be in panic if they heard this."

"But unfortunately, Lieutenant Kagome," Wo-kyuu lifted her cane and pointed at him, "you can't tell the higher ups anymore."

"And why is that?" He feared that he wouldn't like the answer since he already heard her for the first time, but he asked nonetheless.

"That is because to the higher ups, you are dead." Ta-kyuu answered him instead of Wo-kyuu. "No, to the whole world, Lieutenant Kagome is dead. Your appearance will bring you nothing but harm."

"And you are the one who did that!" He shouted at them. Finally unable to hold his feeling, he poured out his anger into his word. "Thing would not become this messed up if–"

"If what?" Wo-kyuu cut his sentence. "If you didn't meet us? If we didn't kidnapped you? Should Wo tell you the whole thing?" She looked at him with her blue eyes, as if glaring straight at his soul. Although wanting to refuse hearing another explanation, he felt that he needed to hear her.

"Where are you going with this?" He used his remaining strength to hold him from shouting.

"Lieutenant Kagome, please listen again to the few fact regarding your ferry." Ta-kyuu walked forward and stopped when she was beside him. She looked at him and continued. "Your ferry has no one on board even before we met you. And the data on the server also stated the same. Why is that?"

"Wait. Wait." He waved at her after hearing her again. He thought for a while. With confused look on his face, he looked at her. "When I board the ferry, there were a lot of people. There are at least twenty or so at that moment, not counting the crew." This fact made him unsure of their information.

"That's correct. But the information we received prior to the mission was that there would only be a single person aboard the ferry. The fact that you are alone on the ferry even before we board the ship confirms that information."

"Huh? That is utterly impossible!" He shouted his reply as he refused to believe them. He was sure that he didn't make a mistake about counting the number of passenger on the ferry. "You are just trying to trick me!"

"Then why don't you look at this for now?" Wo-kyuu snapped her finger once. What followed after that surprised him. A hole opened on the ceiling and a screen fell down. There was nothing on the screen except buzzing at first. But then the buzzing stopped and a figure appeared on the screen. She wore a neat looking suit and behind her was a picture of a burning object on the sea.

"We bring you the headline. A military ferry was attack moments ago and it was believed to be an attack from the shinkaisei-kan." She paused for a moment and then continued. "Unfortunately, there was no survivor. Among the deceased is an officer in the navy, Lieutenant Ren Kagome."

"W-What!?" He couldn't believe what the news broadcaster has announced.

"The Lieutenant was originally tasked to move to a different base starting tomorrow. But sadly, his ferry was attacked by the shinkaisei-kan before he could assume his new task."

"Tasked to another base? I've never heard of that!" He shouted at the screen. After that, the screen showed different people giving their sympathy and word of grieve after losing such a talented officer, most of them was people wearing navy uniform and ranked much higher than him. "But they fired me! I was going back to my hometown because they fired me!"

"Wo guesses that's enough." Wo-kyuu snapped her finger once again. The screen shut down immediately and it rose up to the hole it came from. "Now did you understand?"

He didn't answer to her. He just stood there while trying to digest the whole torrent of information he just received. He held his head low with one hand while the other hand was curled to a fist.

"Lieutenant Kagome, it is true that we were trying to make the ship disappear, but we didn't want to blow up the ferry and sink it." Ru-kyuu said to him.

"…Why is that?" He asked with a weak voice, not knowing what else to do.

"Because we can reused the material on the vessel. But the moment Ru-kyuu tried to steer the ferry, at least two explosions happened on different side of the hull." Ru-kyuu said to him. If that information was true, Ren could thank his instinct for not doing that very act or he would bring himself to his own demise.

"…How can I trust you?" He looked up to them and looked at their eyes.

"We didn't kill you." Wo-kyuu stated that to him shortly. "The one who wanted to kill you was not us, but your superiors."

"I still can't trust you."

"Lieutenant Kagome, do you not realized that you have no choice?" Ta-kyuu voice seemed to be filled with deadly intention. "What choice do you have up there, huh? You are dead to the whole world for all you know." The black haired shinkaisei-kan beside her told her the very thing that he was still tried to deny.

"…." He couldn't give any answer to her statement.

"At least with you in here, you can still support your sister back home."

Hearing his sister being mentioned, a drastic change happened to him. He rushed forward toward Wo-kyuu without any warning. But before he could do anything more, both Ta-kyuu and Ru-kyuu grabbed him and pushed him to the ground. Their strong hand pinned him to the floor below, making a loud thumping sound that resounded in the whole room. Hissing and groaning with inhuman voice, Ren stretched his arm as if trying to grab her neck to kill her. The fact that he was also glaring at her with bloodshot eyes made the scene rather fierce.

"YOU! ARGHHH! LET ME GOOO!" He howled as his body was being held strongly by the two shinkaisei-kans.

"Once again, as Wo expected, you will react strongly to the mention of your sister, Lieutenant Kagome." Looking down to the man who was pinned down, Wo-kyuu looked a bit too calm than one supposed to be in such a situation. Still using the jet black walking cane as her support, she threw a question at the one below her. "So it is right that you have a sister, Lieutenant Kagome. Only a bit younger then you."

"Don't involve Kiyoko!" He kept struggling. "Let go of me!" He shouted again and again.

"Calm down, Lieutenant Kagome. We are only reminding you that you still have someone to live for."

"I said don't involve Kiyoko!" The moment he shouted again, a loud bang came into the room. And with that bang, Ren founded the tip of Wo-kyuu's cane only inches away from his face.

"And Wo said that you have to calm down." She reminded him again, this time with a much sterner tone. Realizing the situation he was at the moment, his mind slowly calm down, although his bloodshot eyes still remained. "That's a bit better. So once again, here's the offer, Lieutenant Kagome." She bowed down to be able to look at him closer. "You can help us in our experiment in here and act as our Admiral. Of course, you will be paid handsomely. Wo can guarantee it."

"How can I trust you?" He let out the same argument again while bearing his anger at her.

"Wo has nothing to say about that as you also have nothing to make us trust you except the fact that you are the one deemed worthy to lead this experiment by the Administrator." She reminded him again of the situation. "Wo will also remind you that the moment you have entered this base, we have shown you a secret from our side."

Hearing that, he became quiet. Although he has ceased struggling, both Ta-kyuu and Ru-kyuu still viewed him as dangerous and refrained from letting him go.

Wo-kyuu straightened her back and then looked at the man on the ground again. "Now what is your decision, Lieutenant Kagome?"

A few seconds passed as there was no response from anyone in the room. The silence was heavy as each party kept their own judgments in mind. After another few seconds gone, one of the parties spoke.

"I'll do it." The reply came from the one who was still pinned on the ground. "But I have few conditions."

"Although Wo can't guarantee anything, you can tell Wo about it. Wo will send your conditions to the Administrator. They will be the one to decide on that matter."

"…I guess that's the best I can get in this situation." He let out a sighed after that. "I have three. First, don't involve my sister. I…just don't want her to be involved in anything like this."

"Okay, next?"

"Let me see her once in a time. It doesn't have to be long. Only a few hours is already a blessing for me."

"Next?"

"Please let me refrain from killing anyone. That's the last thing I want to do." He looked up to Wo-kyuu. "If I can have all three of those, I'll gladly be the leader of this experiment of yours and give it my all."

"Once again, Wo can't guarantee anything." She shook her head. "But Wo will try to do it."

"Thank you very much. You have my gratitude." He bowed his head a bit.

"Release him." Wo-kyuu ordered the other two to let him go. They nodded at her command and helped him stood up. As he brushed his clothes, Wo-kyuu approached him. "So you will be our Admiral then?"

"…..I can't believe this, but," he looked to the three of them and gave a sigh. "Yes, I will be your Admiral."

"Can Wo, no, we trust you on that?" She asked him with a tone filled with seriousness.

"Yes, you have my word for it."

"Then please change into this." Wo-kyuu tapped her cane twice on the floor. A clicking sound came from above them as the same hole where the screen appeared moments ago opened. A platform was lowered down. After stopping only a few inches from the floor, Ren could see that on top of the platform was a suitcase. "Please opened it and change into it."

A few moments passed as Ren changed into the clothes inside the suitcase. Of course, the three shinkaisei-kan girls turned around to give him a moment of privacy.

"Okay, done." After he said that, the three turned to face him again.

The three of them gave different reaction at the sight of him. Ta-kyuu gave whistle with a smile on her face. While Ru-kyuu was silent, although from her face, one could notice that she was a bit impressed. And the last of them, Wo-kyuu, nodded with satisfaction on her face.

The man in front of them was dressed in very different clothes than before. The former lieutenant was dressed in a black suit. The top resembled the high collar jacket of a navy officer with difference in the many intricate golden trimming near the collar and cuffs. The usual place near his chest where medal usually hung was replaced with a single black pearl that gave a strange purple shine. The black pants also had trimming with similar design as the top. To top it off was the hat he wore has a double trimming made from silver colored thread. From top to bottom, his entire outfit really resembled his usual navy uniform, only with different color and ornament.

"This outfit...Suited suspiciously well for me" He commented on his outfit as he looked at himself. As he moved his arm slightly, he felt the sense of irony in his mind. The moment he was officially stated as dead in the world, he reached the highest rank he could ever imagine, although it was on the enemy's line. As he put on his hat, he gave another heavy sigh.

"You sigh a lot, you know?" Ta-kyuu said to him while leaning forward a bit.

"A lot has happened in a short time." He repositioned the hat slightly, looking for the best position for it to stay on his head. "I'm sure I deserved at least a few." He received a respond in a form of a shoulder shrug accompanied with a shaking head from the one who threw the question.

"Then this is the last thing you need." Wo-kyuu approached him and put forward her hand. On her hand was a small tablet. "This is yours."

"What's this?" asked Ren after receiving the gadget.

"Put your palm on the screen and you'll know." After saying that, Wo-kyuu walked back to stand in line together with her comrade.

Hesitating at first, he eventually put his palm on the screen. The moment he did that, the screen glowed with a green light. Then a line of light scanned his hand.

_"State your identification."_ A mechanical voice came from the gadget, startling him slightly. He looked at the three shinkaisei-kan girls in front of him. Wo-kyuu nodded at him.

He sighed again and then stated "Ren Kagome" with a clear voice.

_"Ren Kagome. Identification received. Please wait for the process to be done."_ With that last statement, the light on the whole room flickered exactly three times. Unlike him who once again surprised by that, the other three looked far from being startled. After that, another announcement came from the device. _"Identification confirmed. Please remove your hand." _The moment he pulled back his hand, the glowing stopped and soft light came from the screen. _"Welcome to the base, Admiral Ren Kagome."_

"…Being called admiral, is kind of…" As he trailed off his sentence, the other three said different word from each other.

"Excited?" "Honored?" "Empowering?"

"Weird." He said while still holding the gadget on one hand and scratching his temples with an awkward look on his face.

"You'll get used to it." The black haired shinkaisei-kan said to him. "Then I guess you are our admiral now?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh yeah, Wo-kyuu-chan, show him the office." Ta-kyuu said to her while nudging her slightly on her side.

"Hmm, very well." Wo-kyuu turned around and used her cane to point at some place near the back of the room. "Could you please move over there?"

"Huh?" Although not knowing her reason, he followed her direction and walked straight to the position she pointed to. "Here?"

"A little to the left, if you please."

He moved a bit as he followed her direction. "Here?"

"Perfect!" said Ta-kyuu with a smile on her face. She then clapped his hand twice. Seconds later, the whole office was filled with loud sound that came from under the floor and behind the wall. The whole room also trembled quite fiercely.

"W-W-What's happening here!?" While trying to hold his ground, he looked around and noticed a few spots on the room started to open up, scaring him even further. After the many holes have opened completely, objects started to arise from under the hole. "What the?"

The rumbling continued for a few seconds together with the many objects that raised from bellow the floor. It stopped after the room was filled with furniture that made the barren room changed completely. A big desk made from metal and wood was placed in the middle of the room, complete with a metal chair fashioned the same as the desk and also a set of high tech looking computer set on top of it. On one corner of the room one could see two metal cabinets that one usually found in an office. The room has changed into a fully functional office that even has a big antique clock near the door.

"That was surprising." He muttered under his breath. A sound of tapping was heard, making him looked at the source of the sound.

"Admiral Ren Kagome." Wo-kyuu said his name while standing in the middle of the other two, although a bit forward than them. "As of now, the three of us and the whole base are under your direct command." After saying that, the three of them gave him a salute.

He returned their salute with one of his own. "Looking forward to work with you all."

"Thank you, Admiral." Wo-kyuu bowed at him. "Please check your tablet for any incoming task the Administration will give you regularly."

"The tablet?" He shifted his gaze to the device in his hand. On the screen a picture of an exclamation mark kept flashing. Under the icon, the words 'Click to read' appeared. He followed the instruction and tapped on the icon. The screen then showed a window that has several points. One of it was a glowing text with the words 'Secure Supply' on it. "…I have bad feeling," said the newly appointed admiral as he tapped his finger on the words. The gadget responded with showing a popup window. "Collect and secure the source to maintain the base on daily basis." He read the text inside the popup window while frowning a bit. "Does it mean that I need to contact the supply and logistic division of this base?"

"No, Admiral." Wo-kyuu shook her head to showed disapproval at his suggestion. "That is just not possible."

"Huh? Why is that?" He questioned her more as he felt that was the only possible course of action.

"It is not possible due to the fact that there is no supply and logistic division here in the base."

"Oh, I see. That sure made it impossible to do, right?" A slight pause came into his sentence after his reply. For a few seconds, the sound of ticking from the clock was the only thing that one could hear in the room. "…Could you say that again?"

"There is no supply and logistic division here in the base." Wo-kyuu stated that again as if replaying a recorded voice.

"No logistic division? Then who's the one been managing supply in this base?" The thought that a base this size has no division that is in charge of something so crucial sounded so crazy for him, he refused to believe her words.

"There's none, Admiral." Instead of Wo-kyuu, the other white haired shinkaisei-kan girl answered him. "Didn't you know that the entire crew assigned into this base has all gathered here?"

"Assigned into this base? The entire crew?" He felt cold sweat poured from his forehead as he steeled himself for another question. "So the only ones inside this base are…"

"Us three and," Ta-kyuu pointed to him with a smile on her face, "you the Admiral."

"Four? Only four?" She leaned to the desk to support his body that was getting weak as he heard that answer. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"No, Admiral. That is true. …Unfortunately true." Ru-kyuu who was silent for some time finally added the last touch to his already worrying state of mind.

"Ugh, my head…" He fell down to his knee while still trying to hold the edge of the desk. "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

***In an unknown part of the world**

N: Ugh, cold. So cold!

C : I'll turn on the heater, sir.

N: Yes, yes. Quickly, Camera-kun.

C: Please wait, sir. Uhm, where is the button for this?

N: Camera-kun! Hurry!

C: Y-Yes, sir! Uhm, ah, here it is! *pushing the button

N: Ah, it's getting a bit better. But still…why can this place be so cold?

C: I don't know, sir. But it seems that this part of the ocean is very cold. Considering the lack of light and the depth, it is quite understandable.

N: So…we're supposed to do our show here?

C: Aren't we?

N: Unfortunately, yes, Camera-kun. … Let's just start right away.

C: Very well, sir. Okay, camera ready!

N: Good! Good day, everyone! We are in the end of the show, so this is our small corner for small talk! I'm your host, N-san. And as usual, we have my ever diligent assistant with us, Camera-kun!

C: Hello!

N: And for now, we will focus on– W-What was that!? Why the red light and the alarm?

C: Sir, we're under attack!

N: We're under what!? From who? Why?

?: Unidentified submarine, stated your identification or we are going to consider you a threat!

C: Sir, quickly! Use this!

N: W-What!? Uhm…Err…W-We are a submarine under the task to report the shinkaisei-kan base. We are not an enemy.

?: Unidentified submarine, who send you?

N: Who send us? C-Camera-kun?

C: Uhm, what is the name? Uhm, err….

?: We repeat, who send you?

C: Err, i-it's the…Ah, the Administration!

N: The Administration! We were sent by the Administration!

?:… Do not move from your position. We are checking your identification.

C: …What now, sir?

N: I…honestly don't know. I guess we wait.

C: And pray?

N: And pray…. Eh, someone's knocking?

C: S-Should I open it, sir?

N: We have no choice. Open it, Camera-kun. And…be careful.

C: Y-Yes, sir. *opening the door.

?: Ah, excuse me.

C: AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!

?: W-What? What?

N: What happened, Camera-kun? Who's the one knoc-AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

?: What is it!? Something on my face?

N: Wait, wait! Who are you?

?: Who? Me? I'm Submarine Ka-kyuu. Nice to meet you.

N: Submarine? Wait! Are you one of the shinkaisei-kan?

K: Yes, I am. Sorry for the previous action. But you have to understand, we are not exactly in a time of peace and tranquility.

N: Ah, yes, yes. I understand that. Please forgive us to for not introducing ourselves before entering this ocean. You too, Camera-kun.

C: Ah, yes, yes. Please forgive us.

K: That's okay. So…you're the one the Administration told to cover the story of our base?

N: Yes. Although we have never meet them face to face. We only been ordered from our higher up.

K: Understood. Then please continue your work.

N: W-Wait! Ka-kyuu-san, please stay for a while.

K: Huh? Why?

N: You see, this is the part of our work where we interview one of the personnel of the base. And since you're already here, how about you do it?

K: Uhm, really? I mean, I'm not exactly the best person to describe the base since I'm only been on patrol.

N: Don't worry about it. I believe that everyone here has a different story to tell. No matter what they tell, it will surely be interesting and eye opening.

K: You have way with word…Uhm, sorry, I don't know your name.

N: Ah, yes, yes. Sorry about that. I'm N-san, the host of this show. And this guy is Camera-kun, my assistant.

K: Nice to meet you. So what do you want to know? I'm sorry, but since this is a sudden request, I can't stay for long. I have to get back to patrol.

N: Very well, let's just settle with two questions for now. First, what is your daily task, except patrolling the ocean around the base?

K: For now that is all. Since this base is new, I have not received another task except that.

N: Oh, okay. Then since you're in a hurry, let's move on with the second and last one.

K: I'm sorry for that, N-san.

N: Don't worry about it. Now, have you met your new admiral?

K: No, I haven't. The base has still a lot of preparing and it seems that the proper introduction will be made later on. Actually, maybe it will be the new admiral's decision. If he doesn't want to, then we can only follow his order.

N: I see. That's quite a dedication, Ka-kyuu-san.

K: Thank you for the compliment.

N: Well, thank you for being here, Ka-kyuu-san. Although our first meeting is not the best one, I hope we can work together with you in the future.

K: Thank you, N-san. And sorry for scaring you the first time. I mean, this is our uniform, you know?

N: It is us that is supposed to be the one to ask for forgiveness for our rude manner.

K: That's okay. Well, sorry for this, but I have to go now. Farewell for now.

N: Farewell! Ah, there she goes. What an amazing character she is. Don't you think so, Camera-kun?

C: Yes, sir. The very proper example of a dedicated soldier.

N: Agreed, Camera-kun. Well, this is the end of the show. Since this is the first one, we have no letter to read. But please send us your comment (aka **Review**). Thank you for watching, have a nice day, and stay healthy, everyone! Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

**********Disclaimer: Kantai Collection (Kancolle), all of its characters, and musics belongs to their respected owner. The only things I own here is my OCs. This fanfict may or may not be canon. Besides that, I've got nothing else to say. So with that, please take a seat, grab your drink, pick your snack, and have a pleasant cruise (or read).**

* * *

**Chapter 2 "Acquiring Supply"**

The sound of ticking filled the room that day as the new Abyssal Fleet Admiral, Ren Kagome, was busy with his work from behind the desk. His finger has been dancing non-stop on the keyboard of his newest computer courtesy of his employer. From time to time, he would stop typing to massage the bridge of his nose in hoping to ease his fatigue due to the constant staring to the screen in front of him and also from the stress of suddenly being in charge of an enemy base. But he couldn't stop working altogether since the new base he was 'appointed' to was lacking too many data and information for him to start managing the base properly.

But then after some time, he finally stopped and grabbed his own head. A sigh then came out of his mouth and his expression became much more annoyed than before. "There's not enough," he muttered with a tired tone. After shaking his head once, he reached to the phone next to him and called the number for the internal speaker. After hearing the tone signified that the connection has been made, he start his announcement. "Attention! I want every personnel to report into my office immediately! I repeat! I want every personnel to report into my office immediately!" His voice was broadcasted at the same time each word was spoken and he could hear his own voice echoed from the hallway in front of his office. After finished saying that, he put the phone down and then waited for everyone to come.

Minutes later, the sound of footsteps was heard coming from the entrance of the office. After that, sound of knocking came from the door. He replied with a brief "Come in".

The door opened and revealed three figures dressed with attire different from each other.

"We're here, Admiral." The one dressed in white serafuku announced their arrival to him. Next to her, both Ru and Wo stood without saying anything.

"Come quickly, we have pressing matter to discuss." As the three entered the room, Ren stood up and walked near the printer. After he took the paper, he moved to the front of his desk. "Now that everyone's here, I have a few things to ask."

"Go on." Ta said as she crossed her arms.

"Now first, do you eat just like a human being?"

"Huh? Of course we do. Besides bauxite and oil, we consume food just like usual." Ta said with a calm face. "Why the strange question?"

"Now, the next question." Ignoring her question, Ren continued with his list of question, which made the white serafuku abyssal fleet girl looked annoyed. "How long have you been in this base?"

"We've been here for 2 days." This time, it was the abyssal fleet girl dressed in black, Ta, who answered him.

"Good, then last question. Have you consumed anything here?"

"Wo has. Wo doesn't know about the other, though." The girl called Wo answered while supporting herself slightly on her trademark black colored cane.

"So, how about the two of you?" As Ren looked at the other two, they nodded at him. "I see. Then I can come into a single conclusion." He put down the papers on to the desk and looked at them with a serious face. "We're going to starve."

"Say what!?" The first one to shout was Ta. Ru's eyebrows wrinkled a bit after hearing that, but she stayed silent. Wo, on the other hand, looked calm.

"Please explain, Admiral." Wo asked him.

"As I've check the report on the computer, I've noticed that this base is fully automated, which is a very incredible thing if you ask me. And after accessing the system, I've come across the warehouse report." After mentioning that, his eyes twitched a bit. "And the report has said that the supply was entirely empty. Except for bauxite and oil, which strangely has a rather steady supply, our supply is left with practically nothing."

"W-Wait! How can the bauxite and oil has a steady supply?" Ta asked him.

"That's what I want to ask you too." Ren said as he massaged his temples, feeling the stress building up in his brain. "If you don't know, how can I know that?"

"You're the Admiral!" She shouted at him. "Isn't that your job?"

"May I remind you that I have only been your admiral for less than a day?" He glared at her.

"Wo thinks that is because of the destroyers." Wo said to him, ignoring the previous argument going on between the two people.

"The what?" With one of his brows raised Ren asked her.

"I, Ro, Ha, and Ni. They were probably the ones collecting the bauxite and oil."

"Who are they?"

"They are the destroyers in our rank. The I, Ro, Ha, and Ni are their name. If Wo aren't mistaken, they are equipped enough to mine for underwater mineral resource." Wo explained to him without missing a beat, as if reciting a written manual.

"Really now? Then I guess I trust you on that, Wo-kun." He then reached for the paper again and read the number on it, making him once again twitched his eyes. "Ugh, but that doesn't solve the matter about our food supply and other supply."

"What other supply are you talking about, Admiral?" Ru who was silent all these times finally spoke. "Do we need anything besides food, bauxite, and oil?"

"Equipment and ammunition, Ru-kun." He said without letting his eyes move from the number written on the paper. "I have a somewhat solution for the food, but I have no idea how can we acquire these military grade equipment and also ammunition."

"Ah, if that, I think we can cover that." Ta raised her hand as she said that. "You see, the base has its own factory."

"Factory?" Both Ru and Ren asked her at the same time.

"Uhm, yes. You haven't been there, Ru? I understand for the admiral since he was coped inside all day long, but you have been exploring the base, right?"

"Err, I haven't, actually." The black haired abyssal fleet rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I have been exploring other things. And it seems I've missed the factory."

"…I see. Then how about we visit the factory first, Admiral? Maybe it will give you an inspiration or two?" She proposed her idea to the whole room.

"Hmm, I suppose so." He put down the paper and reached for his hat. After he put that on, he looked to her and said "Shall we go?"

* * *

"Okay, here it is!" Ta said to the other two with a proud voice. "Impressive, isn't it?"

Unlike Wo who still has her composed expression, both the Admiral's and Ru's mouth were hung open slightly while their eyes went wide looking at the whole place.

"….Uwooh…"

"…My Lord…"

The four of them were currently located at the factory inside the base. It was on the rear most part of the base. With a single large metallic door that served as both an entrance and also an exit, the place was humongous. Pipes after pipes decorated the whole wall that connected to a few rows of machinery that filled the whole room. On each part of the machine, high-tech touch panel and screen displayed numerous stats and condition of the machine and also the level of stock. The smell of metal and oil filled the whole room as the machine processed bauxite and crude oil which– if Wo's information was correct– was collected by the abyssal fleet destroyers. The whole factory was loud enough that Ta needed to speak with a bit louder voice than usual to make the other heard her.

"No wonder your equipment was so different." Ren then walked to a nearby machine and looked at the screen. After reading some of the number shown in the screen, he shook his head. "This is some high-tech and high-spec machine we have on the base."

"I know, right?" Ta looked oddly proud while hearing him said that. "With this, the equipment and ammunition problem is solved, right?"

"Uhm, yes. I think so." Still amazed and slightly stunned to see what the base was equipped with, he was unable to give any other comment. But after a few seconds of processing his own thought, he was able to calm himself down and return his thought on the other problem. "I guess that means the next thing we have to think of is the matter regarding our food supply."

"Wo doesn't think the destroyers could gather enough supply for this base, Admiral." Wo said to him with a rather concerned voice.

"Understood. Then that leaves us to the option of acquiring it ourselves." He said as he still looked at the display. After he said that, the three abyssal fleet girls looked at him in silence and with a rather strange look on their eyes. Noticing their glare at him, he looked back at them. "What?"

"Uhm, Admiral, may I remind you that we are the abyssal fleet?"

"Yes, what about it?" Hearing Ru said something strange to him, he could only look at her while tilting his head slightly to the side.

"And you want us to do what?"

"I want the three of you, together with me, to buy our own supply on the surface." He said that with a rather calm face. "Is there something wrong?"

"And how, if I may ask you, Admiral?" Ta asked him, one of her eyes twitched a bit.

"Unfortunately, I haven't gone that far yet in my plan." He crossed his arm as he looked at them. "I was hoping that the three of you could help me in that part of the plan."

"Ugh, this is bad." Ta said as she grabbed her head. "And I'm getting hungry myself."

"Do you think I'm not?" Hearing that, Ren rubbed his stomach as he felt the same urge to get some nutrient. "I haven't had anything since yesterday."

"Then we have to hurry, Admiral." Ru said to him. "We can't work efficiently without any food."

"And again I asked the same thing. How?"

"…We're in deep trouble." Hearing her white haired friend said that, Ru touched her chin as she started to think for a solution.

"To make it easier for us, let me sum up a few spot we need to fill up on the plan." Ren leaned his back to the nearest wall. Although it was cold and a bit uncomfortable, he ignored that. "First, how will we get there and get the supply back here? You don't have to think of the place since I've come up with several places we can buy our supply."

"Understood, next is?"

"Next, Wo-kun, is the matter about our identity." He said as he removed his hat and looked at it closely. He continued explaining. "As Ta-kun said before, you are the abyssal fleet, which mean you can just barge into a shop just like that."

"The result will be a full scale arm conflict."

"Precisely." After hearing Ta's answer, he put on his hat back and then continued. "And I am in no better position myself either. If my own identity is revealed, there is going to be a lot of trouble which I am not fond of."

"Understood. Is there anything else?" Wo asked him again.

"Then there's the fund. Let's solve those three first. We'll worry the rest when we got there."

"Understood. Then Wo will get to it." The abyssal fleet girl dressed in the bodysuit walked to the entrance and exited the room without looking back. The three left in the factory room could only looked at her with the same confused look.

"…I don't suppose the two of you know where she is going to?" Ren decided to ask although he has a hunch about their answer. The two of them just shook their head at his question. "Figures."

"Then what now, Admiral?"

"Hmm, then how about this?" He pulled out the tablet from inside his pocket and then tapped a few button. "What do you usually eat?"

"Huh? Hmm… we usually eat…" Ta was about to say something but then stopped. She looked at her black haired friend and asked. "What do we usually eat?"

"Eh? Ehm,…." She crossed her arm and also closed her eyes. "I…actually don't know."

"Really now?" Ren typed a few word into his tablet and continued with another question. "Let's change the question. Describe the food you usually eat."

"Describe it? If I have to say it is like some kind of brown colored bar."

"Brown colored bar?" While hearing Ta's description, Ren kept typing it on his tablet. "How about the taste?"

"Tasteless, if I have to say. Sometimes like tasting water in solid form."

"Err, okay." He frowned a bit after hearing Ru explanation. Inside his mind, he actually felt a bit of pity toward them. "What else?"

"Is there anything else except that?" Ta asked him. Hearing that, he regretted a bit asking them.

"So you have never eaten anything else except that?"

"I…don't think so. Have we, Ru?"

"Hmm, I don't recall eating anything beside that. Maybe bauxite and oil, but I guess that's all."

"Uwah…now I feel bad." Ren muttered under his breath as he kept typing. "I'll think of something for you later on. But for now–"

"Wo has return." Ren sentence was cut off by the sudden entrance of the white haired abyssal fleet girl. "Did Wo interrupt something?"

"No, no. Then you've done…whatever you're doing? Actually, where did you go?" Ren looked at her.

"Wo was contacting the Administration to ask for assistance." She said to him. "They said that they will message you later."

"Message me later? And when would that–" A beeping sound came from his tablet, stopping his sentence. "Is this it?"

"Wo doesn't know." Wo shook her head. "Perhaps it is."

Hearing such a vague answer from her, Ren frown a bit. He then looked at the tablet and tapped the message icon. After that, a window opened. Inside it was written a sentence "Granted. Go to the place in the map."

"What's this? A game?" He said with a rather annoyed tone. After reading that, he couldn't help but think that these so called Administration were playing around with him. He clicked the map icon on the tablet and found that a single exclamation mark was on a certain location on the map. He clicked on it and found out that it was near the place he was going to suggest.

"So what now? We move out?" Looking at their leader reaction, Ru asked for their next move.

"I guess so." He sighed. "Not that we have a choice." He put the tablet into his pocket. "And how are we going to move out?"

"Simple." Ta grinned at him. "The casket."

* * *

"UAAGH!" Ren let out a rather loud sound as he removed the respirator he was using moments ago. After he stepped out of 'the casket', which was the same tool they used when bringing him into the base, he tried to breathe in as much air as possible. Feeling a bit dizzy and disoriented due to the gas, he crouched down on the sandy beach to make his recovery process faster. "Ugh, is there any other way?"

"Not that I know of." Ta said to him with her hand behind her head. "At least not until the Administration said so."

"Wo-kun, please tell that to the Administration later, please."

"Wo will try, Admiral."

"Ah, that's right." As he felt a bit better, he stood up and looked around the place, which was on a sandy beach without anyone else in sight. "In here, don't call me that."

"And what are we supposed to call you?" Ru walked near him and asked while holding his shoulder, trying to help him stand properly since he was still swaying a bit.

"I was about to suggest you all to call me either Ren or Kagome. But I guess that might make me suspicious."

"Do you have any other name we can use, Admiral?"

"Hmm, …sadly I don't have any other name except the one I have." He tapped his chin as he thought. "Oh, how about this? Instead of Admiral, call me Captain?"

"And how is that less suspicious than calling you Admiral?" Ru asked with a bit if uncertainty in her voice.

"Captain is not reserved for the army and the navy. Let's just go with the story that I'm your school or university's club captain." He said that as he remembered the story her sister story about her club activity, making her missed her a bit.

"If you say so, Admi–I mean, Captain." Ru said as she almost slipped up.

"Good." He nodded at her. "Please don't forget that, everyone." After that, he pulled out his tablet and opened the map. "Now let's go to the meeting place."

"Where is it anyway, Captain?" Ta walked closer to him while trying to look at the tablet.

"Let's see…."For a brief few seconds, he looked to the map and studied it. He then looked up and then pointed to a certain location. "There, actually."

"Where?" Ru followed her leader's direction. "There?" The sight of a building on the end of the direction the Admiral pointed at surprised her.

The building, although not that large, looked quite spacious. It was made entirely from wooden log, giving it that rustic look and has a certain classic feeling to it. Standing on the edge of the beach, the building even has a small wharf attached to it. The design looked simple and leaned toward functionality rather than aesthetically. A pair of windows was placed on each side of the door that led to the land. For the door that led to the wharf, there was only one window. Around it was a pair of flower beds that was put into a box container.

"Did the Administration…build that recently?" Ta looked at the building and couldn't help but feel a bit amazed. Although the building itself was not that amazing, but the feat of building a single cabin in less than an hour was still unbelievable. "If yes, that would be really something, eh Captain?"

"Yes, agreed." He put back the tablet on to his shirt pocket and looked toward the cabin. "Only one way to find out. Come on. And don't forget to bring the casket too." After saying that, he gestured them to follow him, the four of them walked toward the building on the edge of the beach.

* * *

"Wo-kun, are you sure that you've never talk about this before with the Administration?"

"No, Captain. Wo just asked them after you told us about the problem."

"Ah, I see." Ren nodded a few times and then continued observing the place. "Then I have to say that they are one impressive and scary organization."

He said that after looking inside the cabin. It was so well furnished and was ready to be use. The cabin itself was divided into several rooms. The living room was placed in the middle of the cabin. Although small, there was a small television set and also a sofa complete with coffee table. There was also a kitchen there ready to be use. On the back, there were two bedrooms. One of them has a three level bunk bed while the other has a single bed. And next to the two bedrooms was a single door that led to a rather empty room that can be used for storage room. From the window near the storage room, he could see the wharf which looked quite large at closer look. Ren couldn't help but feel amazed by the level of preparation that has been done in such a short time. And it seemed that the other two also felt the same, with the exception of Wo who looked rather indifferent to that fact.

"Hey, Captain. There's a box here." Ta called him from the living room.

"A box?" Following her voice, Ren came into the room and find out the box she was telling was placed on the coffee table. The box seemed to be made from plastic and it looked rather new. Before he could take another good look at the box, a beeping sound came from the tablet on his chest pocket. He pulled out the tablet and found another message was sent from the Administration. He tapped the 'open' button and another window opened on the tablet with the sentence "use those to solve your identity problem" displayed in the window.

"So this is the assistance they provide?" He closed the window on the tablet and then took the box. "Hmm, a bit light."

"Open it." Ta said with an excited voice. "I wonder what's inside it."

"Sure. Just give me a minute." He opened the top part of the box. "Hmm, what is this?"

"What's inside?" Ru looked over his shoulder, trying to take a look at the content of the box. Even the usually calm Wo tried to look inside it, curious as what the Administration has given them.

"Watches?" said the Admiral after he opened the box, revealing four identical wrist watches that was placed very neatly inside the box. He took one of the watches and examined it. The watch has a shiny silvery white chain strap that looked brand new. The main body of the watch has a shiny rectangular black body with a digital display in the middle, showing neon green numbers on it. On each side, there was one small button, which made a total of four buttons on the watch. The sleek and modern design of the watch somehow suited Ren's black admiral uniform. He immediately put it on his left wrist. "Hmm, this looks really nice."

"So? What does it do?" Ta leaned closer to him.

"Well…" He looked at the wrist watch on his hand and tried to find any sign or icon on it that might help him. "I guess I have to try each of these buttons to find out."

"Unless you find some sort of instruction in the box, I guess that's your only choice."

"Then while I'm trying it, try to find it inside the box. Maybe I missed some spot."

"Got it, Captain." Ta gave him a salute and then took the box from him. While she was searching it, Ren pushed one of the buttons. The watch beeped and the number changed.

"Hmm, so this is for setting the hour." He pushed another one. Another beep came from the watch. "And this is for minute. I guess this is for the second." As he pushed the next one, it did give the expectant result. "I see. So, what does this one do?" He put his finger on the last button. The moment he pushed it, he closed his eyes as a flash blinded him. "W-W-What!?"

"What happened!?" Ru who was standing near him shielded her eyes, just as Wo did the same.

"W-Wow! What did you do!?" Ta almost dropped the box as she was also surprised by the sudden blinding light.

After the light vanished, Ren finally opened his eyes. He checked his body immediately, fearing for the worst. Thankfully, there's nothing wrong with his body. He breathed a relived sigh but then returned his attention to the mysterious watch.

"What was that?" He then noticed something wrong in the room. The other three girls just stood there while staring at him with confused look on their face. "W-What's the matter?" A bit unsure of what to say, he could only throw out that question.

"…Uhm…. Are you …the Admiral?" Ru asked him while walking a bit closer to him and also making her stare much more intense.

"Huh? What kind of stupid question is that?" He felt a bit annoyed being given such a random question at the moment. "Of course I am."

"Err,…but Ad…mir…ral," this time it was Wo that looked at him closer. As she tilted her head slightly and also furrowed her eyebrows, she continued. "You…don't… look like our Admiral."

"Huh?" Hearing the usually serious Wo said that, he pulled up his tablet and then activated the front camera. Looking at the picture being displayed at the screen, he gasped in surprise. "W-What happened to me!?"

In the display of his tablet, the image of the usual young man who has a short dark brown hair wasn't on it. Instead, the screen displayed the face of a woman in who has short boyish looking dark brown hair. His voice also changed too. It has somewhat higher pitch, but still retained his rugged speaking accent, making him sounded like a tomboy. Thankfully, his clothes still remained the same, only his appearance and voice that has become different.

"I've turned into a woman?" Ren couldn't believe what he saw. But as the one displayed on his screen was definitely not his usual face. He looked at his own body and it seemed that he has changed too to that of a woman. Although not into that of a feminine or beautiful woman, his body has indeed changed into a female. "C-Can I turn it back?" He feared the worst as he pushed the last button on the watch he used. Just like before, the moment he pushed the button, a bright flash came from the watch that engulfed his entire body. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best. He opened his eyes but still afraid of the result. As he steeled himself to see the effect, he breathed in relief as he has acquired his normal body.

"Glad to have you back, Captain." Ta said with a teasing tone toward her superior. "Although having a female admiral is not such a bad choice." A little giggle came from her, which made him a bit annoyed.

"Very funny, Ta-kun." He looked at the watch again, this time with amazement in his eyes. "This is…a very high-tech piece of equipment. Now I fear the Administration much more than before."

"Captain, do you think the other three are for us?"

"I think so." Ren answer with a nod toward Ru's question. "Put it on quickly. We need to be able to use this device properly so that we can assume the rest of our mission."

"Roger, Captain!" The three abyssal fleet girls answered him and picked their own watches from the box. After they put it on their wrist, they replicate their superior's action and pushed the same button. A bright flash filled the whole living room, blinding everyone inside it. After the flash subsided, they opened their eyes and then looked at their new self.

"Uwo!" "Awesome!" "Impressive." While each girl showing their amazement in their own word, Ren put up his tablet and positioned it toward them after turning on the front camera. The girls looked at his tablet to check for their appearance much closer. All of them now no longer have glowing eyes and their skin no longer looked nightmarishly pale like before. With normal looking eyes and also healthy clear skin, they already looked very different. The only thing that looked out of place was their clothes. But besides that, they looked pretty normal and good.

"Once again, I have to say the technology of the Administration is decades faster than the current technology." After saying that, he put his tablet back to his chest pocket. "If only we have some normal clothes, we are good to go."

"Captain, if I'm not mistaken, I have seen a big wardrobe in the bedrooms." Ta reported to him. "Maybe there are some clothes we can use there."

"Well, let's check on it. If there are, picked something that will blend in with the crowd."

"Captain, what kind of clothes that will let us blend in with the crowd?" Wo asked him after raising her hand. "Wo doesn't know."

"…Now that's a problem." He just realized that they don't really know the way ordinary people lived. Giving that decision to them would make a potential for trouble. "Okay, I'm not exactly a fashion expert, but I guess I will pick the dress for all of you. Got it?"

"Roger!" After the three gave their response, they moved to the bedrooms.

* * *

"Okay, we're here," said the Admiral who now has the appearance of a woman as they finally arrived at their destination. After looking at the content of the wardrobe, Ren decided to go with long black pants, a professional looking purple shirt, and also a pair of leather wristband, emphasizing his tomboyish look even more.

The four people group has arrived in in front of a building which had a big signboard on top of it with the shop's name on it. An automatic sliding door was in front of the building next to a row of shopping cart. Many people came into the building carrying nothing but then exited the building with cart full of bags and boxes. From the row of crystal clear glasses window on the building, they could see a lot of people inside.

"What is this place, Captain?" Ta who was now wearing an outfit that consisted of a simple blue colored blouse, skirt with the color of black and blue, and a tall leather boot asked him. Surely enough, the other two also looked at him and probably have the same question.

"This is a supermarket." He said as he looked at them. "We will buy our supply here."

"We can acquire food here, Captain?" Ru threw that question at him. She looked rather similar to her usual appearance as she wore clothes that consisted of a black shirt, black pants, and brown vest.

"We can 'buy' food here." Ren corrected her choice of word. "Geez, I can't get used to this voice. It feels strange," said Ren as he rubbed his neck.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it eventually." The white haired abyssal fleet said with carefree tone. "What is it, Wo? You've been looking at that building rather intensely."

"Wo is interested at what Wo can find there." The last of the three said with a rather excited voice, although she didn't show it on her face. The expressionless abyssal flee, like the other two, wore something similar to her usual clothes. Instead of a white bodysuit, she wore a simple long blue jeans and a simple white shirt. "Can we enter now, Captain?" She gripped his clothes rather intensely. Ren could see the spark of excitement in her eyes even though her expression never changed. The other two nodded too, seemingly have the same opinion as her.

"Okay, okay." Being pushed by three abyssal fleet girls surely has made him felt kind of strange. "Since this is your first time here, let me say some rule for you." He raise up one finger. "One! Don't run around. Stick close to me." Then another finger was lifted. "Two! Don't say too much to anyone." And then another one. "And last, but not least! Keep a low profile." Finished saying that, he looked at them. "Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" A unison reply came from the three of them, gaining a glance by the passerby. But fortunately they ignored them right away. After hearing their reply, Ren stood there in silence.

"Hmm, did I forget something?" He tapped his chin for a while.

"What is it, Captain?" Noticing that their leader became silent, Ru asked him.

"I seem to be forgetting something important, but I don't know what. Ah, maybe it's not so important." But then he dismissed the thought altogether and looked at the three girls. "Okay, then let's go in." Ren turned back and headed to the store with the three following behind him.

* * *

"Ru? Ta? Wo?" The tomboyish woman looked around with panic expression in her face. "Oh damned my luck. Where in the world are they!?" Ren almost shouted if not for the fact that the place is fully packed with people. He cursed his luck as the day he decided to buy some stuff was the day the store had a huge sale. Actually, that was not a bad idea since that meant he could buy stuff in bulk cheaply. "Okay, focus. Focus. Now where could they be?" As he leaned on the shopping cart slightly, he tapped his forehead while thinking.

"KYAAAA!" A sudden scream that filled the air took Ren's attention immediately. Without thinking much, he rushed to the source of the voice while towing his cart in hand. In the back of his mind, he knew that one way or another, one of those three will be there.

"A-A-Are you okay?" The moment he reached the aisle where the scream was coming from, he couldn't help but put his hand on his face, unable to bear the situation in front of him. "M-Miss, p-p-please….say something." In front of him, there was a pile of boxes that seemed to have fallen from one of the empty shelves nearby. And near it he could see a female store employee looked rather panicky at the scene. And judging from her previous worry filled statement, there was someone beneath that pile of boxes.

"Wo is fine." Ren let out a heavy sigh after he heard that muffled response that came from under the piles of fallen boxes.

The female store employee still looked panicky and worried even after hearing that from the victim. Ignoring her, Ren walked toward the pile to crouched down and then put aside the top boxes. With that out of the way, he could see the white haired girl staring into the ceiling while lying there.

"Oh, it's Captain." She gave a response that was void of any sign of worries.

"Are you hurt?" She shook her head without showing any change in her expression. "Good. Wait a minute. I'll get this out of the way." The Admiral quickly started to put away the fallen boxes.

"I'll help too, miss." The employee next to him also helped him. He nodded and smiled at her, thanking her for her assistance.

After a while, they finished removing most of the stuff, making it possible for the abyssal ship girl to get out. While she was brushing her clothes from the dust, Ren noticed the boxes that was scattered all around her. He picked one of them and found out that it was a box of rock candy.

"Why the candy?"

"They're shiny," said the girl, making both the Admiral and the store employee looked at her with a slightly blank look. "See? So many colors." She continued her explanation while pointing at the picture in front of the box cover.

"Ah…okay…." For a brief moment, Ren couldn't find any suitable response for that. Feeling more and more puzzled by the abyssal fleet girl's action, he stood up after picking up one of the box. He glanced a bit at Wo after doing that and she almost shown a bit of change in her expression, although it was still hard to make out for. After apologizing to the store employee, Ren offered her to help with stacking up the product on to the shelf, which was declined by her. Thanking her again for that, Ren leave the aisle with one hand pushing the cart and the other towing Wo with him.

"Wo-kun, don't do that again." He said to her after reaching an aisle that has shelves featuring many different types of spices and sauces.

"Do what, Captain?" The girl just stood behind him, eyeing the colorful boxes and packages on the shelves.

"Making a ruckus like that. If you can't reach it, ask someone who can," said Ren as he picked out two different types of curry roux. "As I said before, keep a low profile." He then returned one of them and then picked a couple of the same type he kept in his hand.

"Understood, Captain." She then walked toward one of the shelves and stopped there.

"What is it?" Noticing that, he asked her. He then followed her gaze and found out that she was looking at a particular box that was indeed out of reach for her. "You want to see it?"

"Yes, but Wo can't reach it." She then looked at him. "Can you help Wo?" Hearing that, he gave a sigh and then walked near the shelf.

"Very well. Since you ask, I will help you." He then reached out to that particular box. After grabbing it, he looked at the cover that pictured an image of a red fiery explosion in front of a dish. "This is…you want this?" She nodded. "But this is a very spicy mix."

"What is 'spicy', Captain?" She asked that while tilting her head and looking at him with her expressionless face. "Wo doesn't know what that word means."

"It means…Uhm…" Inside his mind, he was trying to compose an explanation of what spicy is to a girl who never eat anything except those tasteless bar–if she have the same experience as the other two. "Err…do you know what taste is?" She nodded. "Okay, so spicy is a taste that somehow makes your taste buds burns."

"So that is a weapon?" Hearing that, he was taken by surprise. "So this place also sells weapon?"

"No, no, no! Uhm, it is a pleasant burning sensation. Not that kind of painful burning." Hearing that, Wo tilted her head from one side to another. On her eyes, she showed nothing but confusion.

"Wo doesn't understand." That response made Ren slump his arms, not knowing what else to say. "So human… eat this? To get that burning sensation?" She eyed that box on Ren's hand. "Human is such a strange creature."

"Well, how about this? I'll cook this for you so you can understand it yourself." After saying that, he took the box and then threw it into the cart. "It is much faster than hearing me give a 2 hours presentation about it."

"Understood, Captain." She nodded at him.

"Good, now let's get the other," he paused for a while, then continued with a rather worried expression, "wherever they might be."

* * *

"M-Miss, what are you doing!?" Hearing yet another scream, Ren quickened his pace with Wo behind him trying to keep up with her leader's speed.

After a few seconds sprint, the duo arrived at the scene of happening. In front of them, they could see their friend, Ta, trying to fish out a live lobster shrimp from a large tank. She was already submerging her hand half way through. Behind her, a man wearing an apron and a pair of rubber boots was trying to pull her away from tank. The scene has already gathered quite a few spectators. One could see that Ren's eye twitched a few times while looking at the scene. He immediately rushed toward the man and the girl.

"Ta-kun! Get away from there this instance!" He shouted as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away in one quick motion, surprising both the girl and the fishmonger as they didn't realize he was there.

"C-Captain?"

"What in heaven's name were you doing!?" Ren's voice was quite loud as the anger get to his head.

"Uhm, I was just going to pick a shrimp. It looks big and interesting." She said while tilting her head to the side.

"And the reason you were sticking your hand there?" asked Ren as he pointed at the tank she was in moments ago.

"I just think that a live one would be better." The moment he heard that answer, he slapped his own forehead. A grumbling could be heard from under his breath as he tried to control his anger.

"Uhm, miss…" The fishmonger's voice stopped him from his grumbling and he gazed at the fishmonger. "If you want, we can take the live one and prepare them for you." The fishmonger offered her his service with a polite tone.

"…Thank you. We'll take the biggest one." Hearing that, the fishmonger bowed with a happy expression and then went to the back of the counter to prepare his order. After all that has happened, he couldn't say no to his offer. That was the least he could do for all the trouble one of his girls has made. He then glanced back to see that the rest of the crowd has dispersed, going on with their one business.

"Ta, if you can't reach it, ask someone who can." He heard Wo trying to scolded her comrade. "The Captain said so."

"Really? But I can reach that just fine. Look at it." Ta pointed to the tank. "My hand can reach that." For a few moments, Wo shifted her gaze her comrade then to the tank. She did that a couple of times before stopping and thin titled her head, thinking to herself.

"Captain, she could reach it just fine. So did she do the right thing?" That question of her made him once again slapped his own forehead, making the two looked at him with confusion in their eyes. He took a deep breath before saying anything to them.

"Listen here, it is correct that you can reach that fish. But there are rules here." He then pointed to the sign near the place. "See that? It says 'call our employee if you need assistance'."

"Ah, so we can ask them to do it for us?"

"Correct. Although…ugh…" He let out a groan as he failed to compose a good enough explanation inside his mind. "You know what? Just…follow me and don't do anything," said Ren as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to lessen the tension in his head.

"Roger, Captain." The two answered in unison. And shortly after that, the fishmonger came back with the prepared shellfish already placed inside a bag of ice. Ren took that and said his thanks. After putting it to his shopping cart, he went on to search for the last crew of his fleet, hoping for the best.

* * *

"Ah, Captain, there you are." A sudden call of his name stopped him in his place. As he turned around, he saw the black haired abyssal fleet girl running toward him. "Please come with me."

"What is it?"

"I need your help in identifying a certain item over there," said the black haired girl with a serious tone.

"Identifying?" "A certain item?" Both Ta and Wo looked at their comrade as she gave a rather odd request to their leader. Hearing that, Ren felt a bit conflicted, but he still nodded and followed the black haired abyssal fleet girl.

After a while, they arrived at the place where Ru pointed to them. At that moment, he did his third forehead slap in a row today. As he let out a heavy sigh, he decided to ask away. "Are those…the ones you need help with?"

"Affirmative, Captain." Ru then picked one of the objects. "Look at this. From my point of view, this is supposed to be a turret of some sort. But then," she flipped the object, showing the hollow side of it to the three of them, "I noticed that it hollow and the tube part of the turret is solid. How is that possible?"

"Oh, you're right." Ta moved closer to Ru to get a better look at the object in question. "Very strange indeed."

"Wo has never seen this kind of weapon before." As the three girls gathered around the object while saying how strange it was, their leader was having a slight headache. He massaged his temple while trying to control his own breathing.

"…Calm down…calm down…it's not their fault…" He muttered under his breath with a rather complex expression on his face. After a while, he then looked at the three girls. He clapped his hand once, gaining the attention of the three. "Let me tell you what that is." He then pointed at the object. "That is a pan. A sauce pan, to be exact."

"What is a 'pan'?" Wo tilted her head as she asked him. "Is 'pan' an abbreviation of something?" And that made him made his fourth forehead slap that day.

"Ugh…" Ren felt more and more puzzled at the three abyssal fleet girls under his command. The more time he spends with them, the more he understands their lack of everyday knowledge. He already considered that the first time they told him about their food. But it seemed that they have almost no knowledge about that particular subject whatsoever. "…Listen, you three. I'll… answer all your questions in the base. But please, while in here, just stay behind me." He then looked at the three of them again. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Captain." The three replied in unison, once again gathering unwanted attention from the shopper. Ren ignored that and continued.

"So just stay behind me and follow me." He let out another heavy sigh after stressing out his order again to them. The waves of exhaustion dealing with them had made him felt more tired than usual. "This is harder than dealing with the navy's purchase order." He mumbled that out while taking his shopping cart toward his next destination.

* * *

After a few round around the whole marketplace, the cart looked somewhat full as along the way the three girls would pick random item they like. Although most of them have been rejected by their rather strict leader, some has managed to get in as Ren himself couldn't find a better word to make them understand that they wouldn't need those stuffs. He then decided to view them as a potential learning material for them.

"Okay, next we need…" Ren scrolled through the list in his tablet to look for his next item to buy. "Carrot, potato, tomato," he glanced at the content of the shopping cart and then nodded. "Okay, got that. Curry, ketchup, sake, mirin,…Hmm,I got that too." After that, he put the tablet back into his pocket. "And with that, the last one is the rice."

"What is 'rice', Captain?" The black haired girl gave a question after hearing an unfamiliar word for her. "Is that food?"

"Correct, Ru-kun. It is a type of grain." Ren looked at the girl after answering her question. He noticed that her eyes showed nothing but confusion. "Let me guess. You don't know what 'grain' is?" She shook her head. "Uhm,…do you know what plant is, Ru-kun?"

"You mean seaweed?" Hearing that, Ren nodded at her.

"Yes, yes. Seaweed is a kind of plant."

"So it is a kind of seaweed?"

"Eh? No, no, no. It is a different kind of plant altogether."

"There's other plant except seaweed?" Ren's eye widened after hearing that statement from the black haired abyssal fleet girl. After a few seconds of silence, he opened his mouth and gave her the best answer he could think of.

"There is. And just like before, I'll give you an answer after we get back home."

"Roger, Captain." She gave a short nod without showing any sign of refusing her leader's decision. Ren couldn't help but feel tired as he let out a sigh.

"Captain, you sigh a lot." Ta who was next to him leaned closer to him. "I'm sure that's not a good habit."

"Better than me letting out a tantrum all the time, don't you think?" Leaving it at that, Ren headed to the rice aisle. "It's just that your knowledge differs so much than a regular person."

"Hey, are you insulting us?" Ta immediately let out a protest.

"I said 'differs'. Not 'lacking'. Where is the insult in that?"

"Uhm,…you're right. Sorry about that."

"How different, Captain, if I may ask?" Ru asked him.

"Very, Ru-kun." While moving to the rice aisle, he started to explain his statement. "I'm not blaming or belittling you or anything here. And you shouldn't feel bad about it as well. You are only thought the necessary, and the things I'm talking about here was never necessary to you."

"Until now." Wo added.

"Correct," said Ren as he nodded once. "Until now." He glanced to them and then continued. "And that's why I said that I'll explain it to you at the base. It's not because I don't want to."

"It's just that we have a lot to catch up with." Ta finished his sentence. "Is that right, Captain?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He nodded at them. "But don't worry. I'll be right there teaching you all the way."

"What a passionate leader we have." Ta said teasingly. "Don't you think so, Wo?"

"Yes, Wo thinks so to." The smaller white haired girl nodded at her friend's words. "Wo will try to learn as much as Wo can."

"Good to hear that." While talking, they have reached the aisle. "Ah, okay, you girls wait here. I'll pick one and then we're done," said Ren as he parked the cart nearby. But before he could walk away, Ru held his sleeve.

"Forgive me, Captain. But I believe we have to follow you as we need to learn that as well."

"Yup, what she said." Ta smiled at him. Wo who was near her also showed the same reaction as she nodded at him, although she never showed that on her expression lacking face.

"Okay, okay. Just don't do anything strange, okay?"

* * *

The sound of creaking was made as the extra-large rice sack was placed into the cart. With the latest addition of the sack of rice, the already full looking cart looked even fuller than before.

"What else, Captain?" As the one placing the latest order, Ru asked him.

"Now we get to the counter over there and pay for these items." The moment he said that, he widened his eyes as his body stiffened. Noticing that, the three looked at him with a slight worry.

"What is it, Captain?"

"Err…wait a minute." He immediately pulled out his tablet and swiped on the screen hurriedly. He searched the message inbox of his tablet. In a rather panicky state of mind, he finally remembered the thing he forgot before he entered the supermarket. And sure enough, it was a much more important than he thought before. "Ehm, Wo-kun, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you already discuss the matter about money with the Administration?"

"Yes, Captain." She nodded. "Wo has certainly conveyed your request."

"So…did any of you receive something else? I mean besides the watch?" They shook their head at his question. "Oh this is bad." He grabbed his face while shaking his head.

"What is it, Captain? We don't know if you don't tell us." Ta looked a bit annoyed that their admiral didn't explain anything.

"Okay, I'll explain it." He let out a sigh and then started explaining. "I assumed you don't know the concept of trade." They looked at him with a rather blank look. He took that as a 'yes' from them. "Then let's make it simple. For us to get this back to our base, we have to pay them, give something in return for these stuffs." He waited for a while for them to digest his words. "And for that, we need money. And at the moment, we have none."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ta waved her arm toward him. "So does that mean that we–"

"Can't have any of these stuffs." He let out another sigh. "We have to return them back."

"So…we get back empty handed?" Ru asked with a rather concerned expression on her face.

"I'm afraid so."

"Can we just bring a few?" Wo looked at him.

"No, Wo-kun." He shook his head. "That would be stealing. And we can't do that."

The three of them looked disheartened after hearing that. Even Ren felt disappointed. That just mean that their mission was a failure from the start and he failed to see that. All of it was his fault since he was the leader of the mission. There's no excuse for that. He knew that very well.

Looking at them, he felt more disappointed, especially toward himself. "I'm sorry, it is all my–"but before he could finish his sentence, the sound of his tablet beeping stopped him. Annoyed that he was being cut off like that, he quickly opened up his tablet with the intention of just shutting it down at first. His intention changed immediately as soon as he read the word on his tablet. "Fund Granted." His voice was on the quiet side, but it managed to attract the attention of his abyssal fleet girls.

"What did you say, Captain?" The first one to ask him was the black haired girl.

"W-Wait a minute." He put forward his hand toward them and then continued to read the content of the message. "It says…'just show them this message'." He frowned at it. "Really? Just that?" His tone was filled with disbelief.

"Care to tell us why are you mumbling like that?"

"Err, honestly, I don't really know." While scratching his head, he tried to look for another clue. But he failed to do so as the content of the message was only a single sentence. "The Administration told me to just show them, probably the cashier, this message," said Ren as he pointed at his tablet.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's just do it!" Ta grabbed his hand and then dragged him toward the counter he just pointed at seconds ago.

"W-Wait a minute!" He tried to hold his ground but he was not match against her monstrous strength, which was expected as she was not an ordinary girl. Try as he might, he couldn't pry his hand of the rather excited looking girl.

"Wo agree, Captain."

"Eh?" All of a sudden his other arm was grabbed by the other white haired girl. "W-Wait a minute, Wo-kun!"

"Since we've finished the collecting and retrieving part of the mission, we have to finish the last task to finally complete the mission." He could notice that she was showing a rare sign of excitement that wasn't there moments ago. It seemed like that she also had the same excitement as her friend.

"B-But…," Ren looked at the two of them. Realizing that his chance of getting away from them was probably nearing zero, he then called the other girl. "Ru-kun?" He glanced back at the last one of his abyssal fleet girl, asking for a well needed assistance against the two. The girl in question just let out a sigh and then pushed the cart. "Not you too…"

"Forgive me, Captain." She said while bringing the cart to the same speed as the two dragging him. "You can't expect me to convince them at the current condition. Besides, you don't have any other choice at hand except to trust what the Administration said."

"Ugh…" After hearing Ru's very logical opinion, Ren resigned himself to do what they asked and hope for the best that the Administration was not just fooling around or he might make a fool of himself.

* * *

"I can't believe it." He mumbled in front of the beachside cabin while carrying with him a few plastic bags on each hand. "It is as if we've got these for free."

"But didn't we pay for it just like you said, Captain?" asked Ta with a few bags of her own slung across her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. But…I didn't even know the total cost of all of these. I need it to manage our budget."

"Let's just think about that later, Captain." Ta said with a carefree tone, clearly happy from being able to purchase their stuff successfully. "You need to be a little more relaxed."

"I will relax if my work is done." He let out a sigh after saying that. "But I guess there's nothing I can do for that. I'll contact the supermarket later on."

"Oh, you can do that?" Ru asked him.

"I can. All I need to do is to look at the receipt and then…" He paused for a while and then once again let out another sigh.

"Now what, Captain?" Ta looked at him with annoyance in her face, clearly not happy looking at him sighing all the time.

"They never give me the receipt," said Ren in a defeated tone. "I guess I really can't do anything about that." He then felt a tugged from his sleeve. He glanced and saw Wo tugging his sleeve. "What is it?"

"What's a receipt?" He half-expecting that question to come from any of them as he mentioned that.

"It is a piece of paper that contained the list of item we bought or purchased. Usually they gave that after we paid them. But it seems they either forget or won't give that purposely."

"Ah, okay." Wo said as she nodded, making her long hair swayed slightly on the air.

"Okay, so let's just put the stuff inside and then we'll think about it later." They all nodded at their leader's command. Ren opened the door and then entered the cabin. To his surprise, another box awaits him on the middle of the coffee table inside the living room. "Now what could this be?" And as if answering his question, his tablet let out another sound, signaling that a new message has been received.

"Another message, Captain?" Ru's voice came after she heard that ever familiar sound from the direction of her admiral.

"Must be. And I bet it has something to do with the new box." He put the bags on the floor near the table. "Put it here." After that simple instruction, the three girls followed his command and put it near his bags. He then pulled out his tablet and swiped his finger on the screen. And just as he did that, a notification for new message appeared, just as he thought. He tapped on the notification icon and then a window appeared. "Huh?" Ren let out a small sound as he was surprised to see that the window show not one, but three new messages.

He tapped the first new message, making a new window appeared. On the top of the window a title read as 'Secure Supply Completed' was written. Under it, written a paragraph that can be summed up as a short congratulatory for being able to finish the task that was given to him. He felt somewhat conflicted after reading that. At one point, it really looked like some kind of game achievement message, making it feel like they are playing around with him. But in the other hand, the fact that the Administration is not an organization that one could play around with, especially since they are managing the dreaded and infamous abyssal fleet, has made the message contained a higher degree of importance and seriousness than before.

After closing the message, he moved to the next one. This time, the subject of the message successfully piqued his interest. In the subject part of the message, the word 'Reward for Completion' was there. Ren's eyes quickly moved to the main part of the message and found that it has a list which has three points. The first point was that he received the whole cabin as their land base. The second one was that the four camouflage wrist watches. "Eh?" The last point he read made him raised his brows. "Could one of you bring me the box?" After saying that, Wo brought the box over since she was the closest to the box. After receiving it, Ren opened the box, revealing the content of the box. As Wo peered inside it, she asked him.

"What is that, Captain?" Ren picked up the object and brought it closer to him to get a better look.

"This thing is a card." He then flipped it around to look at the other side. "A credit card, to be exact."

"What does it do?" The curious white haired girl looked closer to the card her leader was holding.

"Remember the stuff I told you about paying to get the stuff we need?" She nodded at his question. "There is another method of doing that."

"There is?" Both Ru and Ta asked him in unison. He nodded at them.

"This card can give us… how do I say it? …an extended time for us to pay for the things we want to purchase. Although eventually we will have to pay it, we can have a longer time to collect the money we need." The three girls kept nodding while hearing his explanation. "But there is a downside to this method."

"Which is?"

"Which is, Ru-kun, that we have to pay extra, which in some cases are not that much in exchange to the extra time we have. In other case, however, the extra cost is not worth the extra time."

"Oh, so it's not really a perfect method, right, Captain?"

"Hmm, let's just say that every method has their plus and minus. This is why we have to be careful." Ren then slipped the card into his pocket. "Although you don't have to worry about that for now. I'll handle those things at the moment."

"Hehehe, nice to have such a reliable leader, aren't we?" said the ever playful Ta toward him.

"Don't be mistaken, I'll assign it to you one of these days."

"Eeehhh?" His statement was not received well by her, although the other two girls just nodded at him without saying anything.

"Don't worry, I'll be there with you. Besides, I can't leave something important to a clueless personnel just like that." He then returned his attention to his tablet once more. "Let's see. Now what is the third message about?"

He tapped open the message and the sight of that message made him let out a sigh instantaneously. But he didn't stop there and proceed to read the rest of the message. While doing that, his face went sour with each passing seconds.

"Although I feel a bit hesitant to ask, I'll ask anyway." Ru who was standing next to Ta spoke with a voice filled with a mixed feeling of worried and a bit of annoyance. "Is there a problem, Captain?"

"Err…I, no, we do have." After briefly closing the window on his tablet screen, he put his tablet into his chest pocket. "How do I start?" He leaned to the nearest wall and then started tapping his chin. With furrowed brows and a rather sour looking expression, he just stayed on that position without saying anything.

"What is it?" Ta crossed her arms and glared at him after saying that, clearly not satisfied at his choice of action. "You can't make us understand without telling us anything, you know?"

"Ta is right, Captain." Wo agreed with her comrade's opinion. "Please explain the problem first. After that, we can look for a solution together."

For a brief few seconds, Ren just looked at her in silence. After another sigh, he fixed his posture and then started talking.

"Very well. For starter, I'll give out three words. Hear me first and then I'll ask questions later. Got that?" They all nodded at him, although they didn't really know what's their leader have in his mind. "Good. Listen up! The three words are 'food', 'nutrition', and 'culinary. I repeat, the words are 'food', 'nutrition', and 'culinary'. Do you got that?" They nodded at his question. "Good. Then the question, which of those words you don't understand? Ta-kun, you first."

"Yes, sir. Besides food, I don't know any of those." The girl answered without missing a single beat.

"Okay, is that the same with the two of you?" He asked the other two while looking at them. They nodded at his question. Once again, he let out another sigh. "I kind of expected that. Well, I guess that's that. Let's think of how to bring these stuffs back to the base. After that, let's get back to the base."

"Wait a minute!" Ta put forward her hand as she shouted that to him. She raised her voice and then proceeded to protest his decision. "That's it? What about the problem? You're just going to hung up on us just like that?"

"Of course it's not finished, Ta-kun." Ren answered her with a rather calm tone. "It's just that I can't answer or solve that problem without being in the right place."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Without being in the right place…" The black haired Ru mumbled his last part of his sentence. She then looked toward him and threw a question. "Captain, does that mean that to solve that problem you required us to be in the correct place with the proper equipment?" Hearing that response, the newly recruited admiral smiled.

"Correct place? Proper equipment?" Wo tilted her head as she repeated the words of her comrade. "Are you going to the factory?" Wo asked him.

"No, Wo-kun." He then walked toward the pile of grocery bags and then picked one of them. Without looking at his subordinates, he gave their next destination. "The galley."

* * *

***In an unknown part of the world**

N: Turn the light more, Camera-kun. It's still a bit dark.

C: Wait a minute, wait a minute….Okay, how's that, sir?

N: Good, good. After you finish setting the camera, we can start.

C: Very well, sir. …Okay, camera ready! In 3,…2,…1!

N: Hello and Good day, everyone! We are in the end of the show, so this is our small corner for small talk! I'm your host, N-san. And as usual, we have my ever diligent assistant with us, Camera-kun!

C: Hey there!

N: Sorry for making it a bit late since we need to set the lighting. You know, the ocean is a very dark place. And for now, we will welcome our guest! …Where is our guest?

C: She said that she needs to put her armament down first, sir.

N: Oh, okay, okay, we'll wait patien–

K: Sorry for being late!

N: Ah, there she is. Let's welcome our guest, Ka-san!

K: Ah, thank you, thank you. Sorry for being late, though.

N: That's okay, Ka-san. Well, how are you today?

K: Fine, thank you for asking.

N: Ah, good to hear, good to hear. So, let's start the interview with my first question, okay? Have you meet with your newly appointed admiral?

K: Unfortunately, I haven't. It seems that our order is still the same as before. So my team is still on constant patrol on the whole base and the vicinity.

N: Is that so? But you have been back at the base, right? Have you ever heard any rumor about it?

K: Once again, unfortunately I haven't. Since the base is new, the one who stay in the base are Wo-san, Ru-san, and Ta-san. And it seems that the three of them is still busy with preparing with other stuff. Because of that, I haven't met any of them.

N: So the ones you've ever meet in the base is your teammate?

K: Correct, N-san.

N: Okay, let's move on then. Can I ask about your teammate?

K: Hmm, sure. I don't really mind.

N: Okay then, hmm… I guess asking how many personnel is not a wise one. How about this then? Do you have anyone in your teammate that you consider close?

K: Hmm…Someone I consider close, eh? Maybe it's the So and Yo class.

N: So and Yo class? A fellow submarine, I presumed?

K: Correct, N-san. Both of them are fellow abyssal submarine girls just like me.

N: I see. Is your team consists only of submarine? Oh, please feel free to not answer it if that is considered confidential information.

K: Actually, I don't really know which information can be considered confidential. But…I guess I'll pass on that question. Forgive me, N-san.

N: That's fine. So what else…Hmm…Well I'm out of question since I myself have so little information about the abyssal fleet.

K: That is very understandable, N-san. We are, after all, humanity's enemy. Come to think of it, I have a question. May I?

N: Please feel free to ask. I'll try to answer as best as I could.

K: Thank you. Well regarding the fact that we are humanity's enemy, how can you interview us so calmly like now?

N: Ho, interesting question. I guess for me, as long as it is my task, I'll go anywhere and interview anyone. How about you, Camera-kun?

C: Hmm, I guess I'm pretty much the same. Besides, we are just regular staffs who are stationed here. We follow order from our management. That's it.

N: Ah, yes, that's right. We are sent by our management. That's our view as doing it professionally.

K: Hmm, okay. I got the gist of it.

N: Your question, may I ask the same to you? Do you think that working together with human is possible?

K: Well, for now I guess it is possible, since we can talk like this without trying to get each other's throat. But for the future…I can't be so sure.

N: Your new admiral is a human, though.

K: That's actually the thing that made me thinking. Can we work together with a human admiral? We are so different. No offense, N-san.

N: None taken as I have the same opinion with you, Ka-san. Does your teammate share the same opinion?

K: We do. I have talk to them in one occasion and they are also a bit worry. But since this is the Administration's order, we can only follow it.

N: Okay, last question then. Do you or your teammate curious about your newly appointed admiral?

K: Very, N-san, very curious. I personally want to know what difference he will make since for quite some time we have operated without any direct command. This time we are not only going to be in direct command, but also a direct command from a human.

N: True. Well, I guess our time is getting short. For now we will read the many letters for us! How exciting!  
Let's start then! Okay, first we have one from **Alkhemia8**! Thank you for following the series! Well, if you're talking about the base where a certain major is, then it is. That's remind me, we have to get back there soon, Camera-kun.

C: Yes, sir. Talk about full schedule.

N: What do you expect, Camera-kun? So onto the next one! Now we have one from **DarkestVampire**! Thank you and we hope you can enjoy the rest of the story.  
Next we have from **Blitz12**! Thank you for enjoying the show! Oh, yes, we will quickly tell that to the management. So thanks for the great advice! And it seems like you fleet has a fans, Ka-san.

K: Okay…that's a first for me. Considering we're humanity's enemy. So should I say hi or anything?

N: You can if you wanted to.

K: Well…thanks, I guess? Please keep supporting us. Uhm, is that right, N-san?

N: That's fine, Ka-san. So, the next one then. We have from **Dangerousbuzz934**! Thank you! Oh, it seems the sender of this one has the same question as you, Ka-san. Please read this if you please.

K: About what? *takes the letter. Oh, yes. About the command chain. Yes, we have the same question too. We can only wait for that.

N: Agreed. Next we have from **pataponvideo**! Thank you watching and also for waiting patiently. We can't give any excuse but only hope that we can deliver new episode as soon as we can.  
And now we have from **MortalitasBorealis**! Thank you for watching the show! And thank you for the wise word of advice. We will tell it immediately to the management. Please feel free to send any critics. We are open to it so that we can deliver the best we could to all of you out there. And...the same question as you again, Ka-san.

K: I can understand that. This is new for us too.

N: So on to the last one. Oh, from an anonymous one. Thank you for watching the show and also for patiently waiting. We can only promise to work our best to deliver the best we can and the fastest we can.

Okay, with that, I guess this is the end of our show for now. Thank you for coming, Ka-san. Feel free to bring along your friend next time.

K: I will. After I discuss it with the Administration, that is.

N: Hahaha, of course, Ka-san. Thank you for coming and we hope we can work together with you again.

K: Likewise, N-san and Camera-kun.

N: Okay, let's wrap this episode up! Please send us your comment (aka **Review**). Thank you for watching, have a nice day, and stay healthy, everyone! Bye!


End file.
